It’s Organic Beauty Week! Which gives us at Glasshouse a great reason to celebrate, along with a few of our favourite natural beauty brands, bloggers and pioneers. It seems that year upon year the world of green beauty is expanding at a hard-to-keep-up-with rate. Individuals are wising up to the benefits of treating their skin and hair sustainably and with fewer chemicals - but they are also realising that this doesn’t mean compromising on style, quality or performance. Organic beauty is slicker, cleverer and more powerful by the day, and we couldn’t be happier.

So we’ve gathered together some of our industry friends to tell us honestly what organic beauty means to them. From chef and food writer Ella Woodward to natural makeup artist Khandiz, here’s a little insight into why they favour organic beauty.

“Organic beauty, to me, means two things. Firstly, that we have a choice. A choice to make informed decisions about our beauty routines, and proof that it’s possible to have high performing, fashionable results without unnecessarily impacting ourselves or the planet. It also means that we have a responsibility. We have to become responsible for making sure that we choose brands that are living up to their claims, and the responsibility to demand that brands who aren’t considering sustainability start doing so.” - Khandiz Joni; organic makeup artist

“Transparent, luxurious beauty that helps me glow from the inside and out. Transparent because I know exactly what is in the product I’m using, luxurious because nature’s finest ingredients are used and you can’t get more luxurious than that, and finally the ingredients help my body from the inside as well as on the outside to achieve the ultimate glow.” - Ailish Lucas, blogger at The Glow Getter

“For me I see organic beauty as a holistic approach to looking after your skin and body, through the use of products that have come from a natural source and have not been chemically modified. I look at a ‘beauty regime’ as what you put in your body as well as on your body and I live by ‘everything in moderation’!” - Holly Allenby, The Acey

“It means transparency, trust and peace of mind. Whilst it’s not to be confused with natural beauty, organic to us is natural that starts right from the soil. Better for the land, better for the environment, better for our skin and ultimately better for us.” - Elsie Rutterford, Clean Beauty Co

“Organic beauty is taking the best care of your skin that you can. Using beautiful, natural products to help yourself feel your best” - Ella Woodward, Deliciously Ella

“Organic beauty for me is being as conscientious as to what we’re using on our body as to what we eat. I believe in looking at the bigger picture; not only the benefits of our health and wellbeing from using organic products, but the benefits towards our planet and ecosystem.” - Guy Morgan, Guy Morgan Apothecary

“Organic beauty, to me, is a lifestyle. I know it’s thrown around as a cliche, but I really believe that true beauty comes from within. And I think that there are two pieces to that. 1. Taking care of your body - what you eat and put inside of your body. The food we eat becomes the very essence of our cells. If you want clean cells and clean skin, eat clean food. And because your skin is your largest organ in your body and absorbs everything you put on it, putting clean products on your skin is just as important as what you eat. 2. Taking care of your spirit - what you choose to carry around in your mind and in your heart. A clogged heart is just as bad for beauty as clogged pores. Being at peace with one’s self radiates from within.” - Dani Kenney, Dani Kenney Co.

“The first word that pops up is purity. Organic beauty represents only the highest quality, safest and purest out there. It stands for everything one wants in a beauty product you trust to slather all over your skin and hair everyday. Unfortunately the second world that pops up is unregulated. There are lies and marketing ploys all over the industry using words like organic and natural. Not everyone is a beauty buff and can be bothered to Google every 13 letter word they see on the back of the bottle, yet they’re super concerned about what they’re putting on their skin. This calls for the support of the community in organisations that have strict regulations and certifications such as the Soil Association in the UK.” - Sabrina Di Giulio, blogger at Call it Vanity

“Organic beauty to me is kind of like the ultimate commitment…even though it’s more difficult for brands to source organic ingredients, and especially get certified, they do it because they’re genuine in wanting to create the most conscious and clean products. As a consumer, it’s quite touching in a way to know that these people aren’t just hopping on to a trend, but really do care about what I’m putting on my body. I love the fact that there’s a positive chain reaction too, as it increases the demand for more people to farm organically, and ultimately have a better impact on the environment. So basically, it’s the like the pinnacle of natural beauty!” - Mayah, blogger at Call it Vanity

“For me it’s about an encompassing awareness of where our bodies fit in the modern world and making decisions that will bare positively on our individual and collective future. Asking ourselves important questions about why and how we consume and what the real end purpose is of the products we choose. I feel the days are coming to an end where blind consumerism and instant gratification takes precedence over the effect beauty and fashion products have on us and our earth in the long run. So for me organic beauty is making the considered choices to use products that don’t harm or increase toxic load, compromise health or damage the earth wherever possible. It’s not about ‘perfect products’ because those do not exist but it’s about becoming educated about your own value system and buying accordingly - sticking to your point of compromise and making it your responsibility to find out as much as you can about how your products are produced.” Sjaniel Turrell; organic makeup artist

Cover image: Rosie Herdman for Glasshouse Journal